


round and round again we go

by phraseme



Category: Azumanga Daioh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phraseme/pseuds/phraseme
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	round and round again we go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



She almost feels bad about it after a while.

"You're back," Sakaki says, and watches the rogue flush pink under her long scarf. It does a terrible job at hiding her features, strong brows and brown eyes, a little scar over one cheek. Nobody else in town wears anything like it.

"I'm back," the girl agrees, and Sakaki shakes her head. She'd be lying if she said she didn't look forward to seeing her again, at this time every month, the same sheepish look on her face with the same book in her hands. It's not the most expensive one they have in circulation, not even close, and it isn't terribly rare. Sakaki is itching to know why she wants it so much.

"You could borrow it." It's a statement, not a suggestion. Sakaki braces herself for a stand-off, but it doesn't come; the girl's mouth twitches with ill-concealed laughter.

"You think I'm taking it because I don't have a library card?" The challenge in her voice is poorly hidden too. Sakaki doesn't know if she's always like this, a little too loud for the library and crackling with some kind of energy.

Everything in her town is kind of small. It's quiet, and oftentimes the only exciting thing about it is whatever happens at the Mihama household-slash-magical-library-and-research-center. "D'you want one?" Sakaki asks, in case she does. This is her job, after all, and it's either this or cleaning frog juice off of the occult texts again.

"What?" The girl wrinkles her nose. "No." She hefts up the book in her hands (still not properly checked out, but Sakaki will try her best to retrieve it for actual library patrons). "I have my orders." _Who gave them to you_ , Sakak wants to ask, but doesn't get the chance. The girl shoves the book under her shirt and bolts.

She runs out of the room and into the main hall, her scarf flapping behind her like the tail of a kite. Sakaki follows her and the book, hears her giggle bounce loud and wild around the hushed lobby like a living thing. She can make it, if she reaches out just a bit more--feels her fingertips brush against the back of her shirt.

Sakaki pulls and hopes the cloth doesn't rip, isn't prepared for the body that collides with hers the next second. The girl sounds winded, as surprised as Sakaki herself feels. "Jeez," she pants, and Sakaki belatedly lets go of her shirt. She's lucky they didn't both crack their skulls. "Coulda warned me."

"Sorry," she says, and but the girl shakes her head. Sakaki doesn't know if she's dazed or not, but the square outline of the book is right there, jutting out from under her shirt.

Sakaki grabs the book and tries not to touch her there, but her fingertips skid across her stomach anyway. It's just a flash of contact, the girl's torso paler than the rest of her, but just as warm. "Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry," she says again, and means it. The girl watches her get back up with surprise and what almost looks like delight. Sakaki might have to call a doctor. She offers the girl a hand up instead.

Sakaki had expected a rough hand to go with the rest of her, but the thief's are soft. Sakaki's fingers usually have a few bandages from the paper cuts and kitten claws of her everyday life. In fact, there's a cat that reminds Sakaki of her sometimes, a brown-spotted one with sweet eyes and wicked teeth. "Man," the girl sighs, and withdraws her hand from Sakaki's grip. "You're kind of awesome."

"Y-yeah?" Sakaki can feel the heat in her face, her cheeks probably turning red while she clutches the book to her chest. The girl sighs, hand mussing up the back of her hair while studying Sakaki with those warm brown eyes. She looks embarrassed (about what, if not for stealing a book?) and Sakaki doesn't know how to ask her to make a library card. "You too."

The girl brightens. Sakaki turns on her heel and almost runs back to her desk, but she can hear her voice and her laugh echo in the lobby. "See you next time!" she shouts, and a dozen voices shush her at once. "Man, Yukari's gonna be _pissed_..."

Later, Sakaki will check on the book to make sure nothing has been damaged since the Incident. She'll check the doors and windows, in case the thief comes back, and try very hard not to feel bad when she places it at the topmost shelf of the tallest bookcase. Maybe, _Sakaki_ thinks, _the brown cat will be waiting on the way home_. 


End file.
